1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adapter for connecting an IC card for a certain standard such as a CF (compact flash) card to a differently-standardized card slot such as a PC card slot. In particular, to an improved adapter which is advantageous in connecting an IC card with an antenna to a card slot for a different standard. Also, the present invention relates to an IC card with an antenna.
2. Description of the Related Art
Data transfer between two or more pieces of information equipment represented by a desktop personal computer or a notebook personal computer and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), conventionally, has been carried out through a cable data transmission system using a connecting cable. However, in the cable data transmission system, it takes time and labor to connect the cable and, in the data transmission, there is a limit on an arrangement of the information equipment. Therefore, recently, a wireless data transmission system has been proposed for mutual data transmission between plural pieces of the information equipment.
A typical method for realizing such wireless data transmission is to mount a PC card into a PC card slot of, for example, a notebook personal computer. In the case of the portable equipment such as a PDA, mostly, there is provided a CF card slot corresponding to a CF card which is smaller in size than the PC card. In this case, a CF card with an antenna may be used.
In the case of a user who owns both of the notebook computer and portable equipment, the user may use an adapter which can adapt the CF card to the PC card slot, so that the user can use the CF card with antenna in both of the notebook computer and portable equipment.
In the case of the CF card with an antenna, a long antenna is mounted on the CF card rear end face which, in a state where the CF card with an antenna is mounted into a CF card slot, faces outward of this CF card slot. Due to this structure, the antenna can be exposed from the CF card slot to thereby be able to secure a good communication condition.
However, when mounting the CF card with an antenna into the PC card slot using the adapter, in some cases, a good communication condition cannot be secured. This results mainly from the structure of the PC card slot of the notebook personal computer.
That is, the PC card slot of the notebook personal computer is generally structured such that the rear end face of the PC card is exposed from its body; however, depending on the type of the notebook personal computer, there is also employed a structure in which the rear end face of the PC card is stored in the PC card slot. In this case, the antenna of the CF card with an antenna cannot be sufficiently exposed from the body of the notebook personal computer, so that a good communication condition cannot be secured.
In view of the above, it may be expected to change the structure of the adapter in such a manner that the rear end face of the CF card with an antenna can be exposed regardless of the structure of the PC card slot. However, in this case, the adapter with the CF card with an antenna mounted thereon, as a whole, has a structure which does not comply with the standard of the PC card. Also, in the case of a notebook personal computer having a PC card slot which is structured so as to permit the exposure of the rear end face of a CF card, the rear end portion of the CF card is always projected from the body of the notebook personal computer. Therefore, this structure raises the following problems: that is, this structure degrades the appearance of the notebook personal computer, is inconvenient to store and carry the notebook personal computer, and is easy to receive shocks from the periphery to be thereby damaged easily.
Further, in the case of a PC card with an antenna structured such that an antenna is mounted on the rear end face thereof, there exist similar problems to the above.
The present invention aims at solving the above-mentioned problems found in the conventional card connecting adapter. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a card connecting adapter which is capable of exposing a portion of an IC card outwardly of a card slot as the need arises.
Also, it is another object of the invention to provide an IC card with an antenna which is capable of exposing an antenna outwardly of a card slot to thereby be able to secure a good communication condition while solving the above-mentioned problems found in the conventional IC card with an antenna.
In attaining the first object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a card connecting adapter (1) for mounting, into a card slot (201) meeting a first standard, an IC card (100) meeting a second standard different from the first standard, the card connecting adapter (1) including: a card-shaped housing (2) corresponding to the first standard; a first connecting portion (3) for sending and receiving a signal between the card slot between itself in accordance with the first standard; a second connecting portion (4) for sending and receiving a signal between an IC card meeting the second standard and itself in accordance with the second standard; a card holding member (6) not only capable of holding an IC card meeting the second standard, but also shiftably held on the housing in such a manner that it can be shifted between a first position where a portion of an IC card held thereby is projected outwardly of the housing and a second position where a portion of the IC card is retreated from the first position toward the interior portion of the housing; and, a connecting mechanism (5) for electrically connecting the IC card held by the card holding member to the first connecting portion through the second connecting portion. The alphanumeric characters within the parentheses designate their respective corresponding components which are included in the embodiments of the invention to be discussed hereinafter. This applies similarly in the following descriptions as well.
According to the first aspect of the invention, by shifting the card holding member between the first and second positions with respect to the housing, a portion of the IC card mounted can be projected and retreated. Therefore, in the card slot of arbitrary information equipment to which the present card connecting adapter is applied, the first position may be set in such a manner that the above-mentioned portion of the IC card held by the card holding member can be made to project outwardly of the present card slot. Due to this, a portion of the IC card can be set at a position where the present portion of the IC card can be projected outwardly of the card slot according to cases. Of course, when the portion of the IC card can be projected outwardly of the card slot even when the card holding member is set at the second position, the IC card may also be used while the card holding member remains set at the second position.
For example, as the IC card, there may be used an IC card with an antenna. In this case, the above-mentioned portion of the IC card, preferably, may be the antenna mounting portion (100b) . Due to this, the antenna can be projected outwardly of the card slot regardless of the structure of the card slot. In the case of a card slot which is structured such that the whole IC card with an antenna can be embedded therein, when the IC card with an antenna is in use, with the card holding member set at the first position, the antenna can be projected outwardly of the card slot; and, when not in use, with the card holding member set at the second position, the IC card with an antenna can be held in such a manner that it is stored into the card slot.
The card holding member, preferably, may be mounted on the housing in such a manner that it can be slidingly shifted in a direction along any one of the four sides of the IC card. However, this is not limitative but, for example, the card holding member may also be mounted on the housing in such a manner that it can be rotated with respect to the housing.
The card holding member, as set forth in a second aspect of the invention, may also be a card holding member which includes a header holding the above-mentioned second connecting portion.
In this structure, for example, when the second connecting portion and IC card are contact connected to each other by means of the fitting engagement of their respective connecting pins, due to the mutual connection between the second connecting portion and IC card, the IC card can be held by the card holding member.
According to a third aspect of the invention, in a card connecting adapter as set forth in the first or second aspect of the invention, the connecting mechanism includes a flexible printed wiring cable (53) for connecting the first and second connecting portions to each other.
According to this structure, even if the distance between the first and second connecting portions is varied as the card holding member is shifted, such variations in the distance can be absorbed by the deformation of the flexible printed wiring cable. This makes it possible to secure a good connecting condition between the first and second connecting portions.
As the connecting mechanism for electrically connecting the first and second connecting portions to each other, there can be employed a structure in which a first terminal (group) connected to the first connecting portion and a second terminal (group) connected to the second connecting portion can be slid together as the card holding member is shifted.
In case that there is little need for the first and second connecting portions to be always connected to each other, there may also be employed a structure in which the first and second connecting portions can be electrically connected to each other only when the card holding member is set at the first or second position.
The second connecting portion need not always be shifted together with the card holding member. For example, the terminal (group) of the IC card to be shifted together with the card holding member and the terminal (group) of the second connecting portion fixed to the housing may be slid as the card holding member is shifted.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in a card connecting adapter as set forth in any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, there is further included a lock mechanism (9, 60) which, when at least the card holding member is set at the second position, can prevent the card holding member from shifting.
This structure can maintain a state in which the IC card is not projected from the card slot. That is, the second position of the card holding member, preferably, may be set in such a manner that the above-mentioned portion of the IC card held by the card holding member is prevented from projecting from the card slot and, more preferably, may be set in such a manner that the above-mentioned portion of the IC card is prevented from projecting from the housing.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in a card connecting adapter as set forth in the fourth aspect of the invention, there is further included a spring member (8) for elastically energizing the card holding member toward the first position.
With use of this structure, by removing the locked state of the card holding member at the second position, the card holding member can be guided to the first position easily.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in a card connecting adapter as set forth in the fourth or fifth aspect of the invention, the lock mechanism can apply an external force going toward the second position to an IC card held by the card holding member to thereby be able to restrict the shifting motion of the card holding member at the second position and thus lock the card holding member at the second position, and also the lock mechanism can apply an external force going toward the second position from the first position to an IC card held by the card holding member set at the second position to thereby be able to remove the locked state of the card holding member.
According to the sixth aspect of the invention, by applying an external force, which goes from the first position toward the second position, to an IC card held by the card holding member, the card holding member can be easily shifted between the first and second positions.
Further, according to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided an IC card with an antenna, including: a card-shaped housing; a connecting portion to be mounted onto the housing and connected into a card slot; and, an antenna hold member not only capable of holding an antenna but also shiftably mounted on the housing in such a manner that an antenna held by the antenna hold member can be shifted between a first position where it is projected outwardly of the housing and a second position where it is retreated form the first position toward the interior portion of the housing.
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, since the antenna hold member holding an antenna can be shifted with respect to the housing, as the need arises, the antenna can be set at a position where the antenna is projected from the housing. Owing to this, in the card slot of arbitrary information equipment to which the present IC card with an antenna is applied, the first position may be set in such a manner that the antenna can be made to project outwardly of the present card slot. Due to this, the antenna can be set at a position where the antenna can be projected outwardly of the card slot according to cases. Of course, in case where the antenna can be projected outwardly of the card slot even when the antenna hold member is set at the second position, the IC card may also be used while the antenna hold member remains set at the second position.
The antenna hold member, preferably, may be mounted on the housing in such a manner that it can be slidingly shifted in a direction along any one of the four sides of the IC card. However, this is not limitative but, for example, the antenna hold member may also be mounted on the housing in such a manner that it can be rotated with respect to the housing.